Electric-light socket



E. G. OAKLEY ELECTRIC LIGHT SOCKET Filed Jan. 24, 1924 Oct. 2Q

2 Sheets-Sheet Oct. 2, l1928.

E. G. OAKLEY ELECTRIC- LIGHT SOCKET Filed Jan. 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet gmwro SH01 c 1 nl Patented @et k2, 192%.

i Unirs .sr/rn Bianss COMPANY, on isninoiironr, ooivimerioor."

ELECTRIC-LIGHT sooner,

-'. p Applcationiled January 24:,V 1924.. Serial No. 688,223;

l This invention relatesto electric light socketsyaiid more particularly'tovan improv-ed j are installedthe lead Widesareusuallypassed getherlso that they will .withstand arotary i, straiinand therefore itisnot expedient to l through an opening in the upper end of the cap andv connected to the terininals on the porcelain base: disposed ivithinxthe lower cylindricaltshell. Thereafterit is necessary to secure the shell andcap vfiriiily together so thaty thereJ Will he no danger'ot accidental discon-4 nection of the two parts, hutit isrvery desirable that the connectioiil'he such that these parts lmay he readily` disconnected ivhende-V sircd( i Y As the light bulbs are usually provided with a Screw hase 'to fit into the sockets, it is necessaryto connect the parts of the socketntoconnectfthein by anymeans Awhich require a relative rotaryinovement or the parts7` button the otherhaiidfit is preferred to provide such av connection that the parts maybe secured together'niere'ly hy a longitudinalthrust.

hile seinev such connections have heen made in the past their provision hasiienderefl the sockets inore or less expensive and the connections themselves have notv alivavs ,operated in a4 satisfactory manner, for if they Were so arranged that thefparts ci the? cap couldhe'A readily vdisconnected the connection vasnot always sufiici'ently secure when 4the socket ivls'lnfuse'.

economically madeand which will secure the parts-'of the cap against rotaryino'veinent as Y A still further object of the inventi'oiiis the provision of .thejcap laiid'shell of an electric light socket with 4ginterengag-ing securing.v

means designed to heengagedhy a longitudinal thrust Such that Vno inatchingof the parts Will beirequired, but on the other hand, the

ybefore the parts are connected; i i

shell of an electric.

cap may hesecured upoiithe shell iiipracti'- cally any position rotar-ily., c v '1' 'lo these andother ends theinveiition eonsists inthe novel features and combinations of parts to he hereinafter described and claimed?.V

ii the accompanying drawing-s A ig. l is a side elevationalview of an relec-v inent's.l i e ,.1 v, v

Fig-r2 is an Ienlarged fragmentary side ele# vational View ofthe shell and cap ofthesocket eric nnnsrnsenonrttnm or i'so"oriiroiaai ooiiiinerioor; v lifssnanon `me Bernsnroiirf;

triolighty socket :embodying lmy` iniprove- Fig. 3 is aibottoin plan View of the on t line 3-3of Fig. 2.V :x Y Fig; i isa sectional vieu7 of Ll-loflligm 'J Fig. 5 is an enlarged thecap online side elevational vieiv of the socket, seine parte being shown in section on' line 5;- 5 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5"L is a sectional View` of the socket on lii'ie'fL-a oFig. Y 'I H *Figjt isa sectional view on line {3f-(lof Fig. 7 isv a'lv'ie'iv siniilai' to Fig. 3 'but showing` a modified forni of cap., 1 i Fig. Sis a sectional vieiv'of the capjshoivn kin 7 .secured upon 'ashell Y vi Fig. 9 isavsectional View on line 9%9 of Fig. l0 is 'a bottom' plan` View ol" a further .F ll is Va fragmentary sectional view of g a; L! i With the :usual hub .ll containing athreaded One object oiniy-invention, therefore, is

the provision .of a nevvand improved connection'hetween the cap and opening' l2v through which ai' set-screw may inserted to hold thesoc-ketin place.' vThe lovi-v er edge oi the Acapis*provided with a skirt or Harige 13 sh'oiif'n more especially irl-Fig.` le this ilange being covered inthe finished caphy a colla-r 11i;

The shell ofthe'fsocketis lshown l5 and may he lorined with the usual shoulder 16 to support the porcelain hase Which is custoinar '-openingl through which projects the switch key119; 'l

part of suoli sockets.' The lower portion A l Inorder to connect ther-shell tothecapf refer to arrange on these parts interengaging means which i may e economically Vformed, and which will effectively hold the Ytwo parts of the socket together. `For this .purpose the shell isprovided with an annular series of corrugations consistingof alternate troughs or grooves' 2'0and ridges 21 which may be rolled or pressed into the metal by suitable machinery, and which terminate at theirrupper ends in an annular shoulderv 22. kAs shown more'especially in Fig. 2, this shoulder faces downwardly so that it may engage a part upon the cap tol prevent an upward movement of the latter.

The cap is provided with co-operating projections adapted to engage the corrugations and shoulder'upon the shell sothat the twol wardly facing shoulder at their upper ends Y wherein'the shell 15a is provided with a se-VV 'ries of corrugations comprising the grooves 20 andridges 21" and the annular'shoulder V 22, allas shown in connection' withv that f to engage below the shoulder 22 of the shell. The bridge-like members 23 are adaptedto enter the grooves 20 and being contacted with thel adjacent ribs 21 prevent relative rotary movement of the parts.

After the projectionsin the cap have been formed, the collar 14v may be placed aboutv the skirt 13 and its edges clamped over the oppositeends ofthe skirt'tohold it in place. y.

The cap 10 may be positioned upon the shell by a longitudinal thrust, the wall of the shell being permitted' to spring inwardly to a sufficient extentdue to the slot 18 for the switch key to'permit the projections on the cap to pass theishoulder 22. The wall of the shell then springs outwardly so that, the mem` bers 23 engage vbetweenthe ribs 21, and the members 24 engage belowj the annular groove 22 to preventseparationof the parts.

In-Figs. 7, 8 and'9 of the drawings I have shown a modified form of connecting means.

formpreviouslydescribed. The cap 108L is provided in this instance with a plurality of punched or struck-up 'projections 26 in the shape of bridge members which are punched Vout from the metal of the cap at their central portions only. As clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 9, these bridgemembers'are so shapedl that the upper beveled portions thereof will ,engage below the annular shoulder 22`to prevent longitudinal separation Vot the parts, as well as engagey in .the grooves 20a to prevent a relative rotary movement of the parts of the cap. In this instance the socket is not intended to be Aused with a key switch, but

is provided with a narrow slot 27 to permit the shell wall to spring inwardly so that the cap may be positioned on the shell.

In Figs. 10, 11 and 12 of the drawings Iv have shown a further modiiication in which the socket" cap 10al is provided with projecting tongues 28struck out laterally from the skirtor flange portion of the cap. These projections are shown substantially triangular in shape and project inwardly from the peripher rof the cap substantially at right angles t iereto. yThere is also provided a projection 24a' similar yto the .projection 24 shown in connection with the form ofiny in# vention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings; In this instance,the shell of the socket is provided with an annularrseries oi correu# gations consisting of alternategrooves` and ridges, as clearly shown in Fig. 11. These corrugations are similar to those formed on the shell shown in Figs. 2and 5, except they l may be smallerV in width and at the upper end of the corrugated portion the 'shell is yprovided with a shoulder similar to the shoulder 22. The corrugations in this instance are usuallyfformed` smaller than in the other modiications,'for the reason that they are designed'to receive the tongues 28 tov prevent any relative movement of the parts in a rotary direction, and as the width Aof. these tongues is ust equalto the thickness of the metal of which thev cap is made,` the grooves ofthe corrugations need only beV of sufficient width to receive these tongues. The tongue 24a struck out from the cap at its upper end, similar to the tongue 24 shown in Fig. 5,. engages below the shoulder formed on the shell and prevents vseparation of the parts .ina longitudinal direction. AsJin the other forms, the cap is provided" with a collar lim! 29to cover the openings left by striking out the projections 244 and 28, so as to give a finished appearance. Y It -will be obvious that I have. provided an effectual, secure locking connection between of which may be engaged by aA longitudinal Athe. cap aiidshell of a light socket, the parts thrust, andwhen engaged will prevent'rela- I tive movement of the parts either in av longitudinal `direction or rotarily. When it is desired to disconnect the parts, however, pressure may be exerted with the thumb upon the shell adjacent theslots 18 or 27 and a locking projection at thisport-ion of the cap will be disengaged and permit the Vparts to be separated.

VIt `will also be obvious that. as the series of corrugations and also the shoulder are i formed to extend annularly about one of the parts, (the shell in the form shown) thelockcally any position of thecap and shellan'd there will be obviated the necessity of bringing these parts into certain registering positionsbefore they may be lockedias hasbeen ing. engagement may be efected in practthe necessity in the case of priortwo, part sockets. v Y d While I have shown, illustrated and described some preferred embodiments o-,flmy invention, it will be understood that'it is not to be limited to the exact details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention andfwithin the scope of the appended claims. v

`l/Vhat I claim is: l 1 Vl. An electric light socket comprising a shell and a cap therefor, the metal of said shell being displaced inwardly Vadjacent the upper end thereof to form thereabove an annular shoulder on its outer surface,vand a series of corrugations below said shoulder,

to telescopically receive the shell and having vprojecting tongues to engage below7 said shoulder to prevent separation of the parts,4

and means to engage the corru'gations of the shell to prevent relative rotation of theparts,v

3. `An 'electric light socket comprising a shell and a cap therefor, said shell having' the wall thereof adjacent the upper end displaced inwardly and corrugated, said corrugations terminating in a downwardly facing shoul-,

der on its outer surface, the outsidediameter lof vwhich is substantiallypequal to that of the body of the shell, and said cap being'adapted to receive the upper end of said shell telej i scopically, andbeing provided with means to d engage the shoulder to prevent separation of the parts, and means to engage the lcorrugationsto prevent relative rotation of the part-s. Y .4. An electricl light socket comprising a shell and a cap therefor, said shell having itsV y i wall displaced inwardly adjacent the upper end thereof to provide al downwardly facing shoulder on ,its outer surface, saiddisplaced portion of the shell being corrugated to provide'grooves andridges, the upper end ofsaid shell being adapted to be received telescopi-4 cally withinthe cap, and the cap beingpr'o-v vided with means to ,engage below said shoulder to` prevent separationV ofv the parts and to engage the corrugations of the shell to pre-V vent relative rotation ofthe parts.

5. An electric light socket comprising'a shell and a cap therefor, said shell having its wall displaced inwardly adjacent the upperl end thereof to provide a downwardly facing shoulder von its outer surface, said displaced portion of the shell being provided with longitudinally'disposed grooves, andthe capv i l being adapted at its lower end to telescopically receive the shell, and being provided,

with means to'engage said shoulder and the vsides of said grooves to prevent separation and relative rotation of the parts.

shell-anda cap adaptedv to` be telescopicallyv assembled thereon, one of said elements hav'-,

ing its wall displaced' from its normal posi- 6'. An electric 0light socket -comprising al tion to provide longitudinally disposed grooves terminating in an annular laterally projecting shoulder, and the other elementl having integrally formed means to engage said'shoulder and said grooves to prevent separation and relative rotation of the parts.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set-my r,han-d this 22nd day of January, l924.l d

nnasrus G., OAKLEY. 

